All I Want Is Another Chance
by KatyaChekov
Summary: Inuyasha dies after a battle with one last wish on his lips: to be reunited with Kagome in his next life. He returns, but can love bloom…yet again? EDIT 2/25/2009: STOP READING THIS. IT'S ONLY UP TO TRACK MY PROGRESS AS A WRITER, IT REALLY SUCKS.
1. Inuyasha Dies

**All I Want Is Another Chance**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any related characters.**

**Inuyasha dies after a battle with one last wish on his lips: to be reunited with Kagome in his next life. He returns, but can love bloom…yet again?**

**Chapter 1: Maryaghu Strikes, Inuyasha Dies**

A mysterious demon watched the hanyou from afar, waiting for his chance to kill the much-hated half-breed. Naraku had a price on this young one's head, and Maryaghu, the hunter, had his own reasons for destroying Inuyasha…

He waited until he knew the hanyou almost better than Inuyasha knew himself. It was a very long wait, but a demon lives forever, even if a half-demon does not. He could afford to wait. And so he did, month after month, as Inuyasha grew stronger. Finally, he realized that he must strike soon, or be destroyed. He challenged him out of nowhere, and, as he predicted, the hanyou's pride would not allow him to refuse…

"Inuyasha! No!" Kagome ran towards her friend as he fell. Maryaghu smiled as he withdrew his poisoned blades from the hanyou.

"Don't bother, woman," he said. "That poison's strong enough to take out any full demon. I knew another half demon, and I know what happens to them. He won't last longer than a month, 'cause once he turns human…" He drew his finger across his throat, then vanished, laughing harshly.

Inuyasha groaned, calling Kagome's attention. His wound had stopped bleeding already, but the skin around it was stained a nasty yellowish-green color. He had a fever, too. Kagome lifted him up and carried him to a nearby cave.

She hardly left his side for the next week, nursing him to the best of her ability. They were too far from any village to get help, nor was Kagome willing to leave Inuyasha alone for too long. The days dragged on indeterminably. One week left.

As the night of the new moon approached, Inuyasha's condition grew worse and worse. Kagome felt helpless, unable to even ease his pain a little. Two days. He now spent most of his time trying to sleep, reserving his strength. Only a few hours of life, and both of them knew it.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha's voice was so soft she could hardly hear him, though he was right next to her.

"Yes, Inuyasha?"

"I…have a confession to make. " He glanced towards the entrance. Less than an hour…not much time left. Kagome was so close to him… He raised his hand and laid it on her cheek. She grasped it as if afraid he would vanish.

"I love you, Kagome. I've loved you for a very long time, but I've never felt quite…ready to let you know. I'm sorry now had to be the time, perhaps if I'd said something sooner—"

He was cut off by Kagome kissing him. "I love you too, Inuyasha," she said quietly. He smiled as the sun fell below the horizon. A few more moments, that was all… But maybe, just maybe he could gather enough strength to fight the toxins when he changed. Maybe there still was a chance that he would survive.

"Do you think…we could live together?" Inuyasha murmured.

"What are you talking about?"

"You really don't think…this'll kill me…do you?" Suddenly, he cried out. In an instant, his hair washed black, his eyes went dark blue, and his demon blood vanished. The poison attacked him mercilessly from within, completing the job it had started less than a month ago. Inuyasha tried to fight it, but he was too weak. He only had time to mutter a quick prayer, then…he was gone.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome squeezed his cold hand. "Wake up! Please!" There was no response. Inuyasha's eyes remained closed. "INUYASHA!" Holding her friend's body close, Kagome wept.

_I know I haven't been a very good person, but I don't care for Heaven. Just please, Kami…let me be with her again. All I want is another chance to prove my love…_

**You guys have no idea how emotionally draining this is to write. I mean, one chapter and I'm exhausted already! And Inu's like a brother to me, so it makes writing this harder. But a good idea must never be denied, ne? **


	2. Ghost! I think

**All I Want Is Another Chance**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any related characters**.

**Just in time for Halloween…if I'd planned this, it couldn't have been better. Thank you to all of those who reviewed my first chapter, and the even larger number who put this story on their alert lists. Thank you so much! **

**Kagome cries a lot in this story, especially in the first few chapters. Don't look down on her for that, her heart's just been broken and her best friend in the world has died before her eyes. So bear with her, and me for writing this, OK? And some of you might wonder where Myoga was when Inu was poisoned? He was off cowering somewhere or something, and never showed up to suck out the poison (like in Episode 13, The Mystery of the New Moon and the Black-Haired Inuyasha). **

**Chapter 2: Ghost! I Think…**

When they buried Inuyasha, Kagome found that her emotions were taking over. Despite her efforts to remain calm, tears streamed down her cheeks. Without looking back, she raced towards the well and leaped through, deciding then and there to never go back.

That night, as she lay sleepless on her bed, she fiddled with Inuyasha's rosary, which she had taken as the only reminder of the Feudal Era.

'_Do I really want to go back there now? He's dead, but what about the Shikon shards? I still have a duty to collect them…and stop Naraku. Can I do it without Inuyasha? Should I?'_

Images flashed across her mind, images of Inuyasha, after he defeated the Thunder Brothers.

"_No! Don't leave me, Kagome!"_ He had shown more emotion than he intended then, and it was so obvious now…

"_Kagome…you smell nice." _

"_But you told me you hated my scent!"_

"_I know… I was lying."_

She wouldn't hear him speak to her again except in memory…

Suki Higurashi peered around the edge of her daughter's door. "Kagome? Are you all right? I brought you dinner."

"I don't want any, thank you," Kagome muttered.

"But you haven't eaten anything all day," Her mother felt her forehead. "Are you sure you're not sick?"

"I'm fine! It's just—" Kagome's story poured out of her before she could stop herself. When she had finished, Suki hugged her sympathetically.

"My poor Kagome," she murmured into her weeping daughter's hair.

Suddenly, Sota shouted from downstairs. "Mom? He's here!"

Kagome looked at her mother quizzically. "Who's here? What's going on?"

"I forgot to tell you…we have an exchange student from Okinawa coming to live with us for a while. Don't worry," she said, as Kagome opened her mouth to speak, "We'll just have to be a little more careful when you go through the well, that's all." Before her daughter could reply, she was heading downstairs to meet their guest.

Suddenly, Sota yelled again. This time, however, his voice was full of fear. He came thundering up the stairs and hid behind his sister.

"Sis? Inuyasha's dead, right?"

"Don't remind me," she said bitterly.

Mrs. Higurashi's voice came up the stairs. "And this is Sota's room, the bathroom is down the hall, my room, this will be your room, no, right here, Grandpa's room—don't disturb him, he's sleeping—and this" she stepped into Kagome's room "is my daughter Kagome's room. So that's where you ran off to, Sota!—No, come on in, don't be shy."

From behind Suki stepped a young man with long black hair tied into a ponytail and dark brown eyes. He waved at Kagome.

"Nice to meet you," he said softly. "I'm—"

Kagome nearly died of shock. "Inuyasha! Sota, you're right! It's Inuyasha!"

**Yeah, it's short—only three pages, but I like writing short, cliffhanger chapters. So live with it. And review it or I won't post anymore, and only my friends who live nearby can see and enjoy it. In the meantime, don't die of suspense… :D Bwahahahaha… **


	3. Aren't You Dead?

**All I Want Is Another Chance**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any related characters**

**All right, I know some of you are begging for explanations about his reincarnation, but stay calm, it will come in time. I'm just suffering a little writer's block—I have the ideas, I'm just having trouble putting it into story format. **

**Chapter 3: Aren't You Dead?**

"Inuyasha! Sota, you're right! It's Inuyasha!" Kagome ran up to the startled teenager and squeezed him in a tight hug. "I thought you were dead! What happened? Never mind that—you're here now, that's—"

"Kagome, he's…not Inuyasha," Mrs. Higurashi said gently. "He's an exchange student."

Kagome looked up at the boy. He was bright red with embarrassment as he pulled away slightly. She felt tears rising in her eyes as she let go of him and bowed, her hope vanishing like morning mist.

"I apologize for my behavior," she muttered. "I thought…you were someone else." Blushing furiously, she raced out of the room, not caring where in Tokyo she went, just as long as she could get away from this—this shadow of Inuyasha. After a while, she could hear speedy footsteps behind her.

"Kagome! Wait, don't go!"

Kagome didn't stop, but sped up, leaving her pursuer, whoever it was, behind. Her flight only ended when she hit the ocean, where she collapsed, exhausted, into the sand. As the moon rose, she noticed that it was almost gone. But not new. That guy definitely wasn't Inuyasha. But her heart was most definitely shattered into the smallest shards possible.

Like the Shikon Jewel. Again she wondered what she was going to do about it, without him there. _But if I don't, who knows how much damage it could cause to time?_ Still pondering, she fainted in the sand.

Inuyasha sat on the dunes, watching her. _I hate hurting her like this, but she mustn't know. Not yet._ His mind backtracked to his death.

'_I know I haven't been a very good person, but I don't care for Heaven. Just please…bring me back so I can be with her again. I just want to be with her…All I want is another chance to show her I truly care about her. Just one more chance…'_ That had been his last desperate prayer, even as his world changed into darkness. His pain faded away, and he could feel himself becoming weightless. Inuyasha looked down and saw Kagome weep for him.

_I can only hope now that the gods grant my prayer._ And they had, after a few hundred years, when a baby was born dead. As luck would have it, this was a few years before Kagome was born. He had been given the child's body as his own, and raised by the overjoyed couple as their (slightly delinquent) son.

But the gods had a condition…he must re-win her heart, gain it back to find out whether she truly loved him or had forgotten him for another, or else he would die again for good. And he only had a week before his fate was sealed. He knew she never would love another, but that only made it harder. How could he win her when she still loved the body lying dead in the Feudal Era? Inuyasha's head started hurting. Grumbling to himself, he picked Kagome up and carried her back to her house. He laid her on her bed and tucked her in, hesitated, then kissed her gently.

"Whether I can do this or not, please remember me," he murmured. "And let me into your heart. Please return my love in this life as you have in the past, even if I die again. And if I do not succeed, let the last thing I see be you."

----

Outside, Suki Higurashi confronted the boy. "I wish you hadn't told me who you were, Inuyasha. It only makes it harder for me to watch my daughter suffer knowing the man she loves is living with her, and I can't even tell her."

Inuyasha shook his head. "It can't be helped. I can't tell her, and even if I did…" He sighed, putting his hand on the smaller human's shoulder. "She wouldn't believe me. I just can't tell her."

Mrs. Higurashi nodded her understanding, but glared at him, gripping his upper arms until he winced. "But if you break my daughter's heart, I swear I will kill you before your so-called deadline is up, do you understand?"

He nodded. "I understand, Higurashi-san. I'd best be getting to bed. I have school tomorrow."

She watched him go, then opened her daughter's door. Kagome moaned in her sleep, clutching the rosary.

"Inuyasha…" Then she rolled over, and was lost to other dreams.

"Sleep well, Kagome," her mother murmured, closing the door.

**There's the third chapter, a little different from what I planned earlier, but better. And it let me explain about his reincarnation, so I'm happy. Isn't this just so sweet? Were I more of a punk, I'd gag, but I'm not, so I'm crying as I'm typing this up. I know Kagome's mom is a bit OOC. She does well as a protective mom though, huh? **


	4. Kagome Finds Out

**All I Want Is Another Chance**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha! So don't sue me. **

**Chapter 4: Kagome Finds Out**

**Inuyasha's new name, Himitsu InuYume, means 'secret dog dream' in Japanese. I had a heck of a time getting a good name for him, I can tell you right now. None seemed to fit. So I picked words I thought connected to him. Maybe his name's too long now…? Speaking of names, Maryaghu's full name is Maryaghu Lee Annagoste. Get it? (marry a ghoulie and a ghost) Perfect for Halloween, and a terrible pun to boot. Too good to pass up, but it doesn't mean anything beyond the pun. **

**And yes, Kagome does find out about Inu in this chapter (yay!). **

When Kagome woke up, she was surprised to find herself in her own bed. The last thing she remembered was fainting on the beach. '_How did I get back home, then?'_ she wondered.

"Kagome? Ah, you're awake! That's good!" Mrs. Higurashi smiled at her daughter. "I was so worried after you left. You know, that boy raced after you just to make sure you were all right. He brought you home. Why don't you get dressed now and come down to breakfast?" Kagome nodded mutely and Suki left her alone.

Breakfast was very quiet that morning. Kagome kept fingering her beads nervously every time she looked at Himitsu.

They went to school together, Inuyasha (Himitsu now) trying to start a conversation, and Kagome desperately trying to ignore him. It wasn't working too well. He was both the same as, and yet so different from, Inuyasha, she thought. She didn't notice her pace slowing, differing of its own accord from Himitsu's.

"Kagome…are you upset with me?"

"Wh-why should I be?" Kagome stuttered.

"It's just…you aren't talking to me, and, well, you're just acting angry…" He trailed off.

Kagome stopped suddenly, causing Himitsu to almost crash into her. "Jewel shards," she muttered. "Very close, at least two of them." She spotted them, imbedded in a tree root. She bent over to retrieve them, and caught sight of her watch.

"Ahhhh! We're gonna be late for school!" She tore off, completely forgetting about the shards. Himitsu snatched them up before running after her, trying to catch up.

The day passed rather quickly, and before Inuyasha knew it, they were heading home. Kagome said she had to go to a friend's place and went to her room. But Himitsu knew where she was really going. He hid himself in the shrine to wait for her. Soon enough, she came, her backpack loaded. She stepped on the edge of the well…

"Hey, where ya goin'?" Himitsu said suddenly.

Kagome almost had a heart attack. She had almost given away the secret! How had he known to be in there? He leaned on the rail, looking at her innocently. Kagome spotted the rosary around his neck. _That bastard! Stealing my last link to Inuyasha…how dare he, how _**dare**_ he!_ Furiously, she opened her mouth to speak…

Himitsu started to panic. If she left now, she might not come back soon, he knew her well enough for that. He had less than a week left, and he probably couldn't go through the well on his own.

"What now? You gonna tell me to sit and run away again!" he snapped, trying to hide his fear. "Tell me!" Kagome's mouth opened and shut, she couldn't think of anything to say. "Well, you're not leaving me. Not this time. I'm coming with you!" And so saying, he dove over the railing, shoving her into the well, dropping the jewel shards. Before the well dissolved around them, he whacked his head on the wall, and the world went black. _I'm not going to let you go, not even if it costs me my life again. I won't let you leave me here!_

They landed heavily, Inuyasha on top, unconscious but holding onto her as if his life depended on it. In fact, it did, but Kagome didn't know that. As it was, she pulled the rosary off of him violently, and then kicked him, hard, before climbing out of the well and into the Feudal Era.

She hadn't gotten very far before she stopped suddenly, realizing what Himitsu had said.

"_You gonna tell me to sit and run off again! Well, you're not leaving me. Not this time!"_

He had known she was going to the well, had known about the well, though she hadn't mentioned anything, she was sure. She remembered him dropping the shards as he jumped at her, the very same shards she had sensed earlier that day and then forgotten. He had picked them up and known what they were, had saved them…

"Inuyasha!" she breathed. "You came back!" She turned to go back to the well, and discovered…she was lost. Not knowing where Sango and the others were, she had wandered aimlessly. And now she didn't know where she was. Uh oh. Not only that, it was getting dark, and she was in the Feudal Era alone and unarmed (and lost). Double uh oh.

Just as Kagome thought it couldn't get any worse, Maryaghu leapt out of a tree and landed in front of her. He grabbed her and started carrying her away.

"Hey!—" she protested, struggling.

"Greetings, lady. Are you still moping over that miserable half-breed?" He searched her face, looking for traces of her grief. However, due to recent events, there were none left. "Ah," he said in disappointment. "You are not. Are all humans as fickle as you are?"

Kagome didn't reply. She wasn't about to tell Maryaghu what she knew…that Inuyasha was still alive.

**There you have it…the fourth chapter of my story. I hope you have enjoyed it, because I don't know exactly what to do next. It might take about a week this time. Poor Inuyasha…Kagome's disappeared, and he can't track her because a) she was lost, b) Maryaghu flew off with her, and c) he doesn't smell or hear as well as he used to, and he's not that strong anymore, either. What to do, what to do…**


	5. The Search

**All I Want Is Another Chance**

**I don't think this story will be longer than six or seven chapters, I really don't. But hopefully the shorter the sweeter with this one, right? I was planning to keep the other characters out of this story as much as possible, but Kaede was kinda necessary to explain an unnecessary search. Without further ado, heeeeeeeeere's chapter 5! **

**Chapter 5: The Search**

Inuyasha groaned. "Ow, my head." He rubbed his skull tenderly, wincing as his fingers brushed the goose-egg on his forehead. "Ano…Kagome? Where are you?" No reply. Again he called, and again no answer. Climbing out of the well, he looked around. Still no Kagome. Now Inuyasha was starting to panic. Where was that girl? Had she…had she run off?

As quickly as possible, he ran to the village.

"Kaede! Kaede! Where are you?" He screeched to a halt in front of the old priestess's hut. The villagers recoiled from him, as if he carried a plague, and with good reason. They knew he had died only a few days ago, and did not know what had transpired since then.

"Who is it that calls me so loudly?" Kaede emerged from the hut.

"It's me, old woman, don't you recognize me?" Inuyasha snorted. "I guess not. Not a big surprise I guess, you've never seen me human."

Kaede gasped and dropped the water bowl she had been holding. "Is that ye, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha grinned sardonically. "In the flesh. No time to explain, though. Where's Kagome?"

"I did not know she had returned. After ye had…" she hesitated, "died, she swore never to return. Apparently, this time held painful memories of you."

Inuyasha sighed. "She did come back, though. I guess that me coming back in her time was a big shock. To her, I was just dead a day." He scratched his head thoughtfully. "Where could she be?"

A thought hit him. Back at the well, there had been a trail where there hadn't been earlier. Trampled as if a very angry person had stomped through the area. And Kagome had certainly looked upset before he had blacked out. He turned and ran back to the well, leaving Kaede confused.

'_Explain later?'_ she thought. _'Explain what? What could he have meant?'_

"You better not have run away, because I swear if I die because of you, I'll haunt you for the rest of your life!" Grumbling and swearing to himself, he started to follow the trail of trampled foliage, hoping desperately that Kagome had made it.

He reached a clearing and looked around. The trail seemed to turn, as if the maker had gotten lost, then… Inuyasha knelt to examine the ground where the trail ended suddenly. It looked as if Kagome had been snatched into the air. Frowning, he realized that tracking her was going to take a lot of time. Probably more than he had left, about four days. But he had to try. This wasn't about him anymore; he could sense that Kagome was in trouble.

He stood up to leave, to try and find even the faintest trace of a trail, when he spotted something. Beyond the trees, there was a mound of earth uncovered by grass, seeming to call to him. Obediently, he walked over to it. _Is that…?_

A grave, where the grass had not yet had a chance to grow. Someone had strewn flowers on it recently. _Who…_ Then he knew, even before he saw the kanji on the tombstone. It was his own grave, and the one who put the flowers there…most likely Kagome.

It felt so strange, looking down at the place where his own body had been laid to rest, and not too long ago. For several long moments, he knelt at the graveside, seeming to stare past the dirt and into his past face.

Anger swelled in his heart. Suddenly, he knew who had taken Kagome.

Inuyasha growled. "Wasn't one of us enough, Maryaghu? Must you slaughter innocent Kagome as well?" He stood abruptly, and set about finding traces of the demon's passage. He would track down the one who killed him, and Inuyasha had every intent of returning the favor.

**No, I'm not using Himitsu any more. That was just a cover name, sorry if it got confusing there for some of you, but I only needed it for one chapter. And when are all of you reviewers gonna wake up and realize I added two chapters while you were sleeping! I just happen to have better ideas for this story than my other ones. I better go before you start pelting me with rocks for talking too much. 'Bye! **


	6. Found You!

**All I Want Is Another Chance**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. I've said that so often it's boring me to death. Of course I don't own Inuyasha! Duh! **

**Heh heh, took me awhile to get this chapter written and typed. It's more disgusting (and longer) than the others, but don't let that deter you…So many reviewers! Yeah, 18, but that's the most I've had for any story so far. I love you all! (Gives everyone treats) **

**Chapter 6: Found You!**

Before he began the actual tracking, Inuyasha first dug up his grave to get the Tetsusaiga. Even though he knew he couldn't make it transform, he had a feeling he might need it.

Much to his surprise, there was no real body in the grave, just a skeleton. Even as he watched, it crumbled away into dust, leaving only the sword and hoari behind.

"Ooooookayyyyyy," he muttered, backing away a little. "That was freaky." Nevertheless, Inuyasha took the sword, and the hoari, too, as an afterthought. It felt awkward at first, having not worn them in five hundred years (to him), though after a few minutes he got used to them. But he missed his beads.

It took four days to catch up to Maryaghu and Kagome, four days of tripping over rocks, fighting through brambles, and interrogating hapless people, before Inuyasha arrived at Maryaghu's castle at last.

"Kagome!" he yelled. There was no answer. Not that he had been expecting one. He walked inside, at first trying to go through every room, then relying entirely on his instinct. He reached a long, dark corridor. There were cavities in the wall, filled with…dead bodies! Inuyasha reeled back as the intense smell of dead rotting flesh assaulted him. The bodies started moving towards him, they were armed…

Inuyasha felt dizzy from the smell. He fell to his knees, trying to pinch his nostrils shut, but it was no use. He was unconscious before the undead guards even reached him.

------------------------

He woke to find himself chained to a cold stone slab. The rotting hands of the undead rested firmly on his shoulders and ankles, ensuring that he could not move. As he watched, flesh dropped from one of their faces onto his own.

"Agh! That is just gross!" Inuyasha shook his head, trying to rid himself of the discarded skin and the accompanying smell.

"I know. Never liked that part, but they are quite obedient indeed."

Inuyasha looked around for the source of the voice. He found it perched on an enormous carved throne, sneering down at him.

"Maryaghu," he growled. Every muscle instinctively tensed, preparing for battle. Unfortunately, being chained down did not help. Still, his hand reached for the Tetsusaiga, stopping mere millimeters from the hilt.

Maryaghu inspected his prisoner with mild astonishment. "I know you. Inuyasha, is it not? Didn't I kill you?"

Inuyasha snorted. "You did, but you shoulda stuck around about five hundred years to make sure you'd finished the job. Now where's Kagome?"

"Right here." Maryaghu gestured, and Kagome appeared next to the throne. He chuckled softly.

"Did you come all this way just to rescue this woman? How like a dog. Faithful to the end, even when the owner is not."

If Inuyasha had still had dog ears, they would have twitched like crazy. "What do you mean, not faithful?"

"She didn't seem to grieve for very long. It only took a day or so for her to forget you."

"Th-that's not true!" Inuyasha protested. However, much to his surprise, Kagome didn't.

"Interesting, isn't it, how easily one can control humans? Especially when they care for no one but themselves."

'_That's not true! Kagome _does_ care about others!'_

But Inuyasha's darker soul, his demon side, replied, _'Then why are her eyes so blank? Why is she under his control?'_ It laughed cynically as his human heart struggled to find another explanation…and failed. _'Fool! She's the same as Kikyo. She doesn't care about you at all!'_ He struggled against the chains, as futilely as he struggled against his other half's rationalizations.

Maryaghu gave a low laugh. "The demon half of you seems to agree with me, judging by the despair on your face. What do you think, Kagome? Should we put the mutt out of his misery?"

And Kagome did the worst thing she could have possibly done at that moment: she not only nodded, but snatched Maryaghu's dagger to do the job herself.

Inuyasha felt his rage boil over. "You traitorous little—" he bit off the expletive automatically, remembering his—Himitsu's—parents telling him time and again not to curse. _'Dammit. They raised me too well.'_

Kagome walked slowly and deliberately towards him, raising the dagger, about to plunge it into the helpless Inuyasha…and then, unexpectedly, she winked at him, her eyes shimmering with emotion and a little mischief—definitely not the eyes of one hypnotized.

"Ka…gome?" he murmured, his hatred melting in an instant. She whirled with the grace of a dancer, spinning the dagger, and hurled it blade-first at Maryaghu.

Inuyasha's annoyance level rose. "Hey, stupid, ya could've used that to pick the lock on these chains!"

It was Kagome's turn to be annoyed. "What lock? In case you haven't noticed, those chains were welded on you!"

Of course, he hadn't noticed. The two of them glared at each other for a second, then Kagome broke down into relieved laughter.

"Kagome…"

"Yes?"

"Could you get Tetsusaiga for me? I can't reach it."

"Here. But what use is it? You're human."

"Oh, gee, I hadn't noticed in the seventeen years I was stuck as one. Thanks for pointing that out," Inuyasha growled sarcastically. "Listen; I don't have much time left. I was given a time limit by the gods, and it's ending in five minutes. I'm gonna die again, Kagome."

She squeezed his hand. "I'll be by your side to the end."

Inuyasha sweatdropped. "_Or_ I could live, but you gotta do something."

"What?"

He looked up at her and said with all seriousness, "You have to kiss me."

"WHAT?"

Inuyasha's ears were ringing. "If you kiss me, the gods will take that as proof of your love, which is why they let me come back in the first place, and I can change back, kick this guy's butt, and then everything oughtta be pretty much back to normal. You get it?"

"No." As he tried to speak, Kagome added, "But I'll do it."

Their faces drew closer, and their lips met…

**Nyah nyah! I'm gonna end this chapter right here and leave you in suspense! Too bad! So sad! You gotta wait for the next one! See ya then! Phew, this chapter is longer than any other one I've written! Hope you liked it! And no, I didn't forget about Maryaghu, I just added more suspense! Have a fun wait! **


	7. Last Chance!

**Disclaimer: I own Maryaghu and the story idea, nothing else, you know the drill.**

**This is it…the last chapter of this story. I'll be sad to see it end. But hey, I have so many other ideas; it'll be kind of a relief to have one of them out of the way! **

**Chapter 7: Last Chance! **

They drew closer, and their lips met. Suddenly, Kagome cried out and fell forward, onto Inuyasha. He looked in shock down at the knife protruding from her back. He felt his heart being torn apart as he watched her die, unable to do anything about it.

"Pitiful human," Maryaghu snorted. Inuyasha tried to rip through the chains, to tear Maryaghu's grinning face off, but he couldn't. He looked down in shock to find that he was still human. _It didn't work? But why?_

Maryaghu continued talking. "I never expected you to actually have the tenacity to return, hanyou. But it looks like even Naraku can't think of everything. I suppose I'll just have to kill you again. Pity that the lovely little lady had to die…she could have been my mistress." He walked towards Inuyasha, flinging Kagome aside, and producing another knife out of nowhere. He ran it down the side of Inuyasha's face and pressed it against his neck. Blood appeared, red against his tanned flesh. Maryaghu licked it away. "Delicious. Even more so once I am finished."

Inuyasha looked down at Kagome's body, and felt rage such as he had never experienced before flow through him like liquid fire. Every nerve ending tingled with pure hatred for this demon. Tears of sorrow mixed with those of his anger, running down his face.

"I'm sorry, Kagome," he whispered as the knife went higher, preparing for the final blow. "I'm so sorry. It's my fault you were killed. I'm sorry."

A shimmering light appeared around Kagome. 'It's all right, Inuyasha,' her spirit whispered. 'We'll be together again soon, one way or another.'

"One way or—what are you talking about? Kagome!"

The knife reached its apex, and hurtled towards Inuyasha's heart. He saw its gleam, and suddenly felt the fiery hatred explode within him. He screamed, back arching, and suddenly went limp. The knife stopped. Maryaghu looked down at his prisoner, puzzled.

Inuyasha's eyes snapped open. "Surprise, you bastard." The change was so sudden Maryaghu had no time to react.

"Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer!" Maryaghu screamed as the hanyou tore through him, ripping him into a million shreds, along with the chains.

The demon was gone, but so was Kagome. Inuyasha held her body close to him and wept.

"_See? Their love is true."_

"_Yes. They kept their end of the deal. Let them be together now."_

Inuyasha straightened as he heard the gods speaking. So they were going to join him and Kagome in death…he was prepared. He kissed the top of Kagome's head gently. _Soon._

He felt so cold all of a sudden, as if the chamber had turned to ice. He felt something beneath his frozen hand, and saw that his beads had dropped from Kagome's pocket. He curled his fingers around them.

_I'm not afraid of dying anymore. I'll join Kagome now, and be with her…_

The last breath slipped out of his body. Inuyasha gasped softly as if at a sudden pain, then his eyes closed for the last time. His hand fell, the beads dropping from it and rolling across the floor. The hanyou went limp as his life left him. Darkness fell.

"_Are you sure this was the best way?"_ one of the gods murmured.

"_No,"_ confessed the other. _"But this way, at least, prevented their further pain. Now they can have peace together."_

----

Miles away, Kikyo shuddered. "Inuyasha…" she whispered weakly, falling to her knees. "You chose to follow her after all. Then I, too, am ready to leave this world at last." She crumbled to dust.

----

Naraku also felt their final death. He smiled. All the better to take over the world. No one could stop him now. Not even the immortal gods themselves.

**Yeah, I changed the story a bit, so it makes more sense. I hope you enjoyed it, and will read my other work. See you! **


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